The album’s first five songs are dire and depressing—somber, sobering, dark, and downcast. ... It remains to be seen if his audiences will want to sing along in order to maintain Mellencamp’s misery.

The singer’s grainy, everyman voice works beautifully with this often sorrowful material, making it believable and potent.

After a few spins, some melodies seem a little less meandering. That’s part of the charm for this predominantly acoustic indie folk that feels as honest and truthful as it sounds.

Despite the distinct musical talents involved, Together is surprisingly as its name suggests--cohesive.

Though he’s reportedly less than eager to release a ballad, some of the best moments of I’m a Fire are “Burnin’ Bed,” written by powerhouse Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, that boasts a beautiful, progressive chorus and “The Secret,” that deals in death, infidelity and hidden love.

At times, Amore sounds like a modern Goth-rock romantic tragedy, full of heartbreak and despair, but the pain Atkins expresses in her lyrics ultimately results in the album's most pleasurable moments.

The production (also by Linden), audio mix, playing, and songwriting capture the shared spirit of the trio who have seldom sounded better.

Nothing takes the place of Muddy’s performances with their emotional intensity and mind blowing musicality. But this heartfelt project makes a terrific reminder of just how great these songs are, unearths interesting, seldom heard Muddy sides even fans might not know and works as both a tribute to the legendary blues man and an impetus to go back and experience the originals.

Listeners with liberal tastes and open ears will find enough quality music here to satisfy them for as long as it takes to plow through and absorb it all, which could be a while. Those new to the band will likely find their head spinning too quickly to grasp it all. But no one will complain it’s boring.

Few artists have the financial means or artistic vision to pull off a thunderous production like this which is impressive in its scope and sheer booming audio audacity. Van Zandt doesn’t have the best voice (his attempt to croon a ballad on “Suddenly You” is almost comedic), but he generally puts across the material in a sort of sub-Southside Johnny howl.

These days, a classic croons are cool again. Witness the 90-something year old Tony Bennett or the ongoing admiration for Sinatra, Bobby Darin and others that share that seemingly romantic repast. In that regard, This Dream of You offers comforts you can count on.

Bella is a flat-out stunner, the work of a completely original songwriter and performer, and one of the young year's most startlingly eclectic and thoroughly fascinating albums.

On Alexander, Ebert proves he's just as capable on his own as he is sharing a stage with nine other musicians.

The album also has its share of upbeat songs--pop-rock flavored numbers powered by bright guitar and vocal hooks that have plenty to offer radio, but considerably less to sink your teeth into upon sustained listening.

With the buzz silenced and the rag headlines but a thing of the past, it’s encouraging to see that The Libertines have lost none of what made them worth the hype in the first place.

Offering up a populist mix of original compositions, covers of cowboy classics and contemporary songs in equal measure. This frequently ends up frustrating.

As sole songwriter, singer and co-producer, Whitely is astonishingly mature for her first album, but assistance from keyboardist Thomas Bartlett whose piano is featured on many of the soaring ballads that dominate the set brings depth and intensity.

There is certainly craftsmanship behind the songwriting here, but it lacks the sweep that the strings would bring to the classic hits.

There isn’t much in the way of surprises on The Happiness Waltz, though that’s no knock against Rouse; a songwriter of his caliber need not reinvent himself to create something rewarding.

For the half hour that this beautifully oddball symphony persists, it's hard to determine where anything begins or ends--a track, an instrument, Davison's voice, or the music itself. And that's a good thing.

He hasn’t run from success as much as escaped its grip to release music that’s honest, raw and comes straight from the heart.

At times, the sudden shifts are rather dizzying.

At just over 35 minutes (a “deluxe” version adds three live tunes) a few extra songs would be welcome. But this is a worthy successor to 2013’s terrific debut from these veterans and hopefully won’t be the last.

He’s clearly infatuated with this raw sound and, like the Stones, at this late stage in his career, isn’t concerned with moving units or getting radio play. All of which speaks to the honesty and love of blues exuding from every track on this heartfelt tribute to the music that has always inspired Billy Gibbons’ best work.

As with most feature-heavy albums, some of the duets fall flat....Still, there is some real magic to be had on Mean Old Man.

Ronnie Dunn is an admirable solo effort and is as rock-solid as any Brooks & Dunn album, which should appease old and new fans alike.

While previous efforts seemed a bit unfocused and disseminated, Blown Away is more thematic and unified, resulting in Underwood's strongest effort to date, which easily leaves her previous releases twisting in the wind.

There are echoes of Bjork (a major influence), Depeche Mode and the earlier, more melodramatic tendencies of the Cure. While that references the older aspects of Wayman’s music, there’s also an enduring, durable and somewhat ageless vibe that keeps this from feeling retro.